Our Team

Brenda Hemmelgarn, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Hemmelgarn is a specialist in Nephrology with a PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University. She is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences, and Head of the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary. Dr. Hemmelgarn’s research interests are in the study of chronic medical conditions including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) using computerized data sources, including the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN) repository of laboratory data and Alberta Health (AH) administrative data. Dr. Hemmelgarn holds the Roy and Vi Baay Chair in Kidney Research. Dr. Hemmelgarn is the team lead for the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration (ICDC). She is also active in clinical practice guideline development including international (KDIGO chronic kidney disease), and is the chair of the clinical practice guideline committee for the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN).

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Braden Manns, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. Manns is the Svare Professor in Health Economics and a Nephrologist at the University of Calgary in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences. He is also an Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions Scholar and Scientific Director of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Kidney-Strategic Clinical Network. He has expertise in Applied Health Economics and clinical research in Nephrology. Some of Dr. Manns current research interests include examining (i) the implications of patient-borne costs on care and outcomes, as well as cost-effectiveness of strategies and health care policies for managing patients with chronic disease, and (ii) assessing the adequacy of care for Albertans with diabetes. He has experience in pharmaceutical priority setting, having served on provincial and national committees for drug evaluation, including a term as Chair of Canadian Expert Drug Advisory Committee from 2006-2008. Dr. Manns is the President of the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) and principal investigator of a Canadian kidney disease knowledge translation network that guides health policy for patients with kidney disease (CANN-NET).

Scott Klarenbach , MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. Scott Klarenbach is a Professor and Clinician Scientist in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. Dr. Klarenbach received his medical training at the University of Alberta, and completed his Masters of Science in Health Economics at the University of York, United Kingdom. He holds a Population Health Investigator award from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research /Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions. His research interests are in health outcomes research and health economics research, and he has over 100 peer reviewed publications. He has conducted numerous economic evaluations and health technology assessments for both chronic and acute conditions, and has received operating grants from the Kidney Foundation of Canada and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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Nairne Scott-Douglas, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Nairne Scott-Douglas is a clinical nephrologist who has an interest in clinical research and administration. In 1984 he completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary in Animal Biology and subsequently went on to obtain a PhD in Cardiovascular Physiology in 1989. During this time he received a post-doctoral fellowship from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research from 1984-1988. From 1989-1991 he was a medical scientist trainee with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. After completion of his MD at the University of Calgary in 1991, he trained in Internal Medicine (FRCPC 1994) and Nephrology until 1996 when he started as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Since 2004 he has been a Clinical Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Nephrology at the University of Calgary. At this time he also started his role as Medical Director of the Southern Alberta Renal Program (SARP). His research interests relate to the role of cardiovascular disease in kidney disease as well as clinical trials investigating hemodialysis vascular access, anemia management and renal metabolic bone disease. He is a member of the Alberta Kidney Disease Network and in collaboration has received over $2 million in research funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, National Institute of Health (NIH) and the pharmaceutical industry.

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Sofia Ahmed, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. Ahmed is a specialist in Nephrology with research expertise in sex differences in human cardiorenal physiology and translational research. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Dr. Ahmed's research interests are in the study of how women and men differ in terms of progression and complications of kidney disease, and how factors such as sleep apnea and nutrition play a role. She completed her MD and internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto and a renal fellowship at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed her Master’s in medical sciences at Harvard University. She is an Alberta Innovates ­ Health Solutions (AI­HS) Investigator and is leading projects supported by the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

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Matthew James, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Dr. Matthew James is a specialist in Nephrology and an Assistant Professor and clinician scientist in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. Dr. James received his medical training at the University of British Columbia, and completed his PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Calgary. He is a KRESCENT New Investigator Award recipient and is currently supported by a CIHR New Investigator Award. Dr. James' current research is focused on risk prediction for acute kidney injury and clinical decision support tools for management of kidney injury and cardiovascular disease in patients with kidney disease. He holds competitive research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Alberta Innovates ­ Health Solutions (AI­HS), the MSI Foundation, and Kidney Foundation of Canada. Dr. James has published over 80 peer reviewed papers and his work has been recognized through the following awards: the J. B. Hyne Research Innovation Award at the University of Calgary, and a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN).

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Kailash Jindal MBBS, FRCPC

Dr. Jindal is a specialist in Nephrology and Professor of Medicine (University of Alberta). He also is the Divisional Director for the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alberta with a dual appointment as Zone Clinical Section Chief Renal and Medical Lead of the Northern Alberta Renal Program (NARP) within Alberta Health Services. Dr. Jindal has conducted research in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis adequacy. His current area of interests involves volume and blood pressure control in dialysis and the slowing the progression of renal disease particularly diabetic nephropathy. Dr. Jindal’s clinical practice includes hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, outpatient clinics in general nephrology, diabetic nephropathy, and the development and expansion of rural renal services for the Northern Alberta population.

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Jennifer MacRae, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. MacRae is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary Division of Nephrology and Department of Cardiac Sciences. She is a graduate of McGill University (BSc Physiology) and the University of Calgary for her Masters of Science in Cardiovascular Physiology and MD. She completed her training in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and a Clinical Research fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Her clinical and research interests include vascular access, the impact of vascular access on cardiovascular physiology and the physiology of hemodialysis in kidney patients. She is actively involved in several randomized clinical trials in hemodialysis. In addition Dr MacRae is a supervisor of graduate and post-doctoral students. She is the Medical Director for Hemodialysis; Home Hemodialysis and Vascular Access for the Southern Alberta Renal Program (SARP), which encompasses approximately 1000 HD patients.

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Dr. Neesh Pannu, MD, SM

Dr. Pannu is a specialist in Nephrology and Critical Care Medicine and a professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta. She has a Master's of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research interests are in clinical epidemiology, quality improvement and health services research in the area of acute kidney injury. She has received operating grants from the Kidney Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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Rob Quinn, MD, PhD FRCPC

Dr. Rob Quinn is a Nephrologist and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. He completed his MD at the University of Western Ontario and his residency training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology at the University of Calgary. Rob then went on to complete a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.

His main research interests include comparative studies of different forms of renal replacement therapy, vascular access, and the utilization of home dialysis. He also has an interest in quality improvement and how quality of care is measured in dialysis programs. Methodological interests include the design and conduct of observational studies in kidney disease, cost-effectiveness, and statistical methods.

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Pietro Ravani, MD, PhD FNCPSI

Dr. Pietro Ravani is a Professor of Medicine with the department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. He is a member of the O’Brien Institute of Public Health and of the Libin Cardiovascular institute of Alberta.Dr. Ravani received his medical training at the University of Parma, Italy, and completed a Master's of Science in Biostatistics at the University of Pavia, Italy, followed by a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Dr. Ravani worked as a practicing physician in Italy until 2008, when he moved to Calgary to start his academic career. His research interests include statistical methods in outcomes research and design of clinical trials and longitudinal studies in kidney disease. Dr. Ravani has conducted numerous longitudinal studies in chronic kidney disease patients, randomized controlled trials, and has received operating grants from Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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Aminu Bello, MD, PhD, FRCP, FACP, FASN

Dr. Bello qualified as MD in Nigeria and underwent specialist clinical training in internal medicine and nephrology in Nigeria, the UK and Canada. He obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), and Masters and PhD degrees in Nephrology/Epidemiology at the University of Sheffield. He completed a post-doctoral clinical and research fellowship in nephrology at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Marcello Tonelli. Dr. Bello is a clinician-scientist with major research interests in improving care and outcomes for patients with CKD living in remote/rural communities, and the development of innovative care models. He also has keen interests in global health and improvement in nephrology practice and education in the emerging nations.

Areas of expertise/research: Epidemiologic methods, quality of care and innovative care pathways, outcomes research in CKD.

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Sara Davison, MD, MSc, FRCP(C)

Dr. Davison is a Nephrologist with an MSc in Bioethics from the University of Toronto and the Joint Centre for Bioethics. She is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta. Dr. Davison's program of research focuses on the delivery of quality palliative care for patients with kidney failure. Her research interests include symptom management, advance care planning, prognostication, conservative kidney care, and clinical pathway development. She holds several grants with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions (AIHS). Dr. Davison leads the development of Canadian core competencies and clinical guidelines in kidney palliative care with Pallium Canada. She also co-chairs the international clinical practice guideline development for kidney palliative care for Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO).

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Robert Pauly, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Dr. Pauly received his clinical training in Nephrology at McGill University in Montreal and subsequently completed a Master’s degree in Epidemiology from McGill and a research fellowship in home nocturnal hemodialysis at the University of Toronto. Dr Pauly is currently Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alberta and Medical Director of the Northern Alberta Home Hemodialysis Program. His research focuses on delivery of intensive home hemodialysis (nocturnal and short daily hemodialysis – NHD and SDHD) and how these dialysis paradigms are integrated into the spectrum of end-stage renal disease treatment options. Dr Pauly’s research is supported by operating grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC) among others.

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Ngan Lam, MD, FRCPC, MSc

Dr. Ngan Lam is a new investigator and transplant nephrologist (Assistant Professor, Division of Nephrology) at the University of Alberta. She completed her fellowship in Nephrology and Clinical Kidney Transplantation at Western University. Dr. Lam also completed her Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University and is a graduate of the KRESCENT Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2012-2015). She was awarded the KRESCENT New Investigator Award (2015-2018) to continue her research on the long-term outcomes of kidney transplant recipients, particularly understanding and reducing cardiovascular disease. Her research will utilize healthcare administrative databases to develop her research theme in pharmaco-epidemiology and drug safety in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in Canadian kidney transplant recipients.

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Ainslie Hildebrand, MD, FRCPC

Dr. Hildebrand received her clinical training in Nephrology and a Master's degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Western University in London, Ontario. She has subsequently completed a fellowship in glomerulonephritis and renal diseases of pregnancy at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hildebrand is currently Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alberta. Her research interests are in clinical outcomes of immunologic renal disease (including glomerulonephritis and thrombotic microangiopathy) and strategies to optimize care of patients with these conditions. Her current research is supported by the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC).

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Paul Ronksley, PhD

Dr. Paul Ronksley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. He completed his PhD in epidemiology at the University of Calgary and a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical epidemiology at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. His research interests are in the areas of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and multi-morbidity. Specifically, his program of research aims to improve our understanding of the subset of patients with CKD that result in high health care costs. Using novel data-linkage methodologies, his work will explore the clinical (co-morbid) profiles of patients with CKD and multi-morbidity, how they engage with the health care system, and whether care pathways can be modified to improve health outcomes for patients.

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Dr. Thompson is a Nephrologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta with a PhD in Epidemiology from the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. Dr. Thompson’s research interests include trials that test lifestyle modification in people with chronic kidney disease, with a focus on exercise and developing strategies on how to increase the adoption of exercise into nephrology care. She is also interested in examining how behavioural interventions and technology can be used to promote patient engagement in self-care. Dr. Thompson’s methodological interest includes the design and conduct of clinical trials, qualitative research, and realist evaluation and synthesis in the evaluation of healthcare delivery.